Materials: Beaded Jewelry

Discover which materials you can use to create original pieces of jewelry with Daniela Le Feuvre, co-founder of Fatto–a creative space dedicated to making accessories

Beads are one of the most versatile items you can use to make jewelry. Thanks to their varying shapes and infinite colors, you’ll be able to find beads for all different designs.

Elsa Amigo and Daniela Le Feuvre are experts in jewelry making. Together they founded Fatto–a creative space dedicated to making accessories out of beads. In the video below, they explain which materials you can use to create original beaded pieces.

Beads

Glass beads take on the starring role in our creations–they are the building blocks of our accessories. Whether we decide to work with cylinder or rounded beads will depend on the result we’re after.

Cylinder beads, as the Fatto team explain, lock together to create a “wall-like effect” thanks to their geometric shape, shown in the image below. This gives the edges of our pieces a flat finish.

Fatto recommends using quality beads to ensure that your pieces aren’t easily damaged. Their favorite companies are Miyuki and Toho, both Japanese. Delica beads are manufactured by Miyuki. Toho manufactures Aiko beads.

Then, we have round beads (or rocaille beads). They have a different shape to cylinder beads, giving a much more rounded finish to our pieces.

We can appreciate these different finishes when examining the outer edges of our designs.

Thread

Thread acts as the skeleton of our jewelry pieces. There are two main types: fine-weight thread and heavy-duty thread.

We use fine-weight thread to string the beads together; it acts as the skeleton of our piece. Also known as Nymo, this thread is made from nylon. Fatto says that it is important that you choose a strong fine-weight thread to ensure that your piece lasts and remains intact. You can also use alternative nylon threads that are stronger and thicker than Nymo.

Heavy-duty thread is used to mark the edges of our piece and for any finishing touches. It’s important that it has a synthetic quality or has been treated with wax (or you can coat it in wax yourself) so that you can seal your piece with it. How to know whether a thread is suitable? Using a match or a lighter, light the end. If a ball forms, then it is perfect for sealing our piece.

Sticky table

When it comes to beading, tape is essential. It will help hold your loom steady so that you can work calmly.

Color pencils and markers

We will use color pencils and markers to work on our design.

We will also need other materials such as scissors, which we’ll need for cutting thread; transparent glue for finishing touches; and a long beading needle, which is essential for threading the beads using our loom.

Here you can learn how to create your own loom with Elsa Amigo, the other co-founder of Fatto.

Did you enjoy this list? Sign up to Fatto’s course, Design and Creation of Beaded Jewelry, and learn to design and thread your own beaded jewelry.

You may also like:

–Embroidery Tutorial: How to Create an Appliqué
–5 Contemporary Textile Jewellery Creators to Inspire You
–What is a Fashion Stylist and How to Become One